It was a unique experience for me to witness so many unfamiliar faces. Arriving at such an isolated community was not something that many experienced in their lifetime. For an unmarried young Acadian man it was particularly poignant. I searched the faces of the young women, hoping to spot Jeanne’s. Would I recognize her in the light of day? Would the memory of her profile lit by the light of a wood fire fail me? My self-doubt was interrupted by Bernard Gaudet’s hardy cry.
“Bonjour, my lovelies! I come bearing gifts. I bring two handsome young men to brighten your day and stimulate romance in our little village!” He broke into his familiar laughter while embracing his wife and daughters. Benjamin and I cautiously disembarked, leaving Charles at the helm of his boat.
“Join us, Charles Belliveau, and rest a while before returning downriver. Perhaps you can catch tomorrow’s tide or possibly the next day’s. Each day away will soften your arrival back at Annapolis.”
Charles understood that this was wise advice.
“If you have sufficient room for all three of us, Monsieur Gaudet, I will accept your kind invitation.”
“That is excellent, monsieur. It is the least I can do to repay you for transporting us home.”
Gaudet continued to shout. “Attention, everyone! Allow me to introduce our honoured guests, brothers Charles and Pierre Belliveau, grandsons of Madame Marie Melanson, and their handsome young cousin, Benjamin LeBlanc from Grand Pré, grandson of the venerable and now deceased Pierre Laverdure. I beg you to make them feel welcome.”
The growing crowd of villagers spontaneously began to applaud. This was an unusual way of welcoming visitors, and it caught us quite by surprise. Although I was aware of receiving considerable attention, once Benjamin was introduced all eyes were on him. I was, however, not slighted in the least. His beauty and presence demanded such attention, no matter where he went.
We followed the crowd along the road to Gaudet’s impressive timbered home. It stood as a model of the building construction he had perfected over the years. It was a more sophisticated and elaborate version of what I had seen at Annapolis — truly a monument to his life as a master builder.
As the crowd reached the threshold of the Gaudet home, the front door slowly opened and there appeared Jeanne. My heart skipped a beat as I stood there nervously gazing at her. Until this day, the image of her standing there remains vivid in my mind. Her bright eyes startled me. Her beautiful face was luminous in the evening sun. She was statuesque and dignified. I thought at that moment, How can I make myself deserving of such an angel?
Jeanne greeted her father with a warm embrace and a kiss on both cheeks. “Welcome home, Papa. We were not expecting you for at least another week.”
“My dear, Annapolis became far too hot for us so we decided to come home to the cool and peace of our little valley.”
He paused and smiled with an impish grin. “Daughter, I wish to introduce our guests, Monsieur Pierre Belliveau, his brother Charles, and their cousin Benjamin LeBlanc. They will be visiting with us for a time. The two young men are masons from Melanson Village and Grand Pré. Perhaps we will put them to work while they remain with us.”
Jeanne stood before us but did not appear surprised to be in the presence of strangers. Her look was of someone who regularly received visitors. With a polite curtsy, she gave us a smile that seemed to me to illuminate the entire village. Such was my feverish state of mind.
There was a certain expectation in the air. Time had suddenly stopped. The players were all present, but how things would work out was still a mystery to me. I was faced with a situation that I couldn’t control; nor was I assured of the outcome. Was my future here or would I be forced to float downriver to a different one? As always, I decided to jump into the deep water of uncertainty and swim relentlessly until I reached my goal.
Jeanne closed the door of the Gaudet home and joined the crowd gathered in the courtyard. She was accompanied by her sisters, Madeleine and Isabelle. They were as their father had described them. Madeleine sought out some of her cousins, but Isabelle was quite intent on investigating Benjamin and me.
Isabelle curtsied to us and was the first to speak. “I am Isabelle. Welcome to Gaudet Village.”
She demonstrated a self-assurance that was beyond her years. She and Benjamin bonded immediately. Sensing this was an opportunity for me to be alone with Jeanne, he asked Isabelle to show him about the village. She was overjoyed to comply.
Now face to face with Jeanne, I was unexpectedly aware that she appeared to know exactly what role she was to play in the scenario we were about to act out. She was the first to speak.
“Monsieur Belliveau, I remember you from your grandmother’s birthday celebration. The song you sang under the stars was beautiful. ‘À la claire fontaine’ is my favourite love song. I do not believe I have ever heard anyone sing it so magnificently.”
A sudden warm sensation overtook my body and I blushed.
“You are very kind to say so, mademoiselle. And please, call me Piau. Everyone does.”
“Then, Piau, you may call me Jeanne.”
Chapter 11
For the next month our spirits soared. The exhilaration Jeanne and I felt being in one another’s company transcended the life we were experiencing each day. She performed her daily chores, and I helped place stone after stone on the new storehouse. Jeanne and her sisters visited the work site at regular intervals to provide the workers with food and refreshments. We found excuses to stroll along the river alone, not that anyone took particular notice. Courtship was a common ritual. These stolen moments allowed us to discover one another’s innermost thoughts, relishing those unexpected brushes of our hands that sent shivers through my body. Other contact of any kind would be considered inappropriate before the courtship was formalized by a promise of marriage. Jeanne and I had to content ourselves with the intimacy that comes from deep conversation.
In the evening, I recounted stories from the Old Testament, ones seldom heard by those who did not possess a Bible. I had a captive audience. Jeanne requested that I retell the story of Ruth on several occasions. She loved the idea that a woman could be the central character in a book of the Bible. Bernard particularly enjoyed the story of Job because, as he said, patience was not one of his virtues. And I loved to glorify the story of Moses and the flight of the Israelites from Egypt. This was an important story for me, one that would inspire me throughout my life. I have always relished the strong message of hope it conveys.
Benjamin and Charles stayed at Gaudet Village for only four days. Both had to return to their lives and work at Annapolis. Charles would relay to my mother the message that I had decided to stay upriver for at least a month. At the end of that time he would return to retrieve me to help gather the harvest at Melanson Village. Benjamin had to revisit his father’s building site in Annapolis to complete the masonry. René would arrive there in the early autumn and transport him home to Grand Pré, where he would remain for the winter at the Manor House.
Poor little Isabelle was distraught when Benjamin departed. She was only seven years old, but she was still hopelessly smitten. Their paths would cross again.
The autumn winds seemed to breathe life into my growing love for Jeanne. Not even the chilly evenings could cool my ardour. And although we never spoke of our feelings, we did not doubt them. As the month’s end approached, I almost wished the tides would fail Charles in his journey to Gaudet Village. Such fancies had to be set aside and a decision had to be made if I was to capture the woman I loved. It was time to get Bernard’s permission to seek Jeanne’s hand in marriage. One day I asked to meet with him in private. We met in the garden.
“So, young Piau, what is it that requires such privacy? I suppose you are going to tell me you are leaving soon. This is not unexpected, but I must say you will be missed when you are gone. You have been more than helpful in constructing the storehouse. I would